Cap



Dec. 19, 1967 C. BONK ET AL CAP Filed April 9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 WKM 5 G. NFHW In mm. M @WAMM Dec. 19, 1967 c. BONK ET AL CAP 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 9, 1965 INVENTOR CHA m4 Bo/wr 6,4 M 4/51. PAF0 w/rz TTORNEY United States Patent This invention relates to animprovement in caps and particularly to caps having ear flaps designedto cover the ears and a portion of the head.

It is an object of this invention to provide a cap in which theso-called ear flaps are continuous so as to encircle the head around theears from one temple to the other.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide ear flaps ofa particular shape structurally and of a resilience so as to snuglyengage the back of the head and sides of the head along their unattachedterminal edge.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an outer flapto encircle the skirt portions of the cap which may be unfolded tooverlie the unfolded ear flap so as to hold the ear flaps in snugrelation to the head and at the same time provide additional warmth andcomfort.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cap havingthe aforementioned advantages in which the cap may be provided eitherwith or without a vizor as desired.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cap inwhich the structural relationship of the outer band to the front portionof the cap is such that when the outer band is unfolded over the earsthat the cap deformed to more snugly fit the head of the person wearingthe cap.

We have discovered that although it is possible to provide the stretchmember along the terminal edge of the ear flaps to improve the snugrelationship of the flaps to the back and sides of the head, yet in someinstances because of the variation in head sizes the snug fit is notachieved as adequately as desired. We have also noted that while it ispossible to construct caps in certain sizes which will adequatelyaccomplish the task for which they are manufactured, yet because of thevariations in head sizes a tremendous stock of caps must be maintainedto accomplish. In order to alleviate the difiiculty of the manufacturerand the retailer in storing large quantities of caps, various attemptshave been made to provide caps which will fit multiple sizes of heads.In general, this is accomplished by providing some form of resilience inthe structure of the cap. Admittedly, the use of multi-sized caps hasbeen a boon to the cap making industry in that the requirements of hugestocks have been markedly reduced. However, while there has been anadvantage gained by reducing the size of the stock, an obviousdisadvantage has arisen in that caps which are designed to fit amultiple of sizes tend to provide gaps along the sides of the head whichthey are designed to fit in some instances or to be too binding in otherinstances.

The present invention is designed to provide a structure in which therelationship of the various parts does not cause the binding mentionedheretofore, and at the same time by providing a unique structure, thegaps are eliminated.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cap whichis particularly attractive, and which may be manufactured at areasonable price.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cap inwhich a modified outer brand may be employed to eliminate part of thetightness which otherwise tends to occur because of the variance in headshapes.

These and other objects and particular advantages will be more fullydescribed in detail in the accompanying "ice specifications taken inconnection with the drawings here with in which FIGURE 1 is aperspective view of the cap;

'FIGURE 2 is a side elevation showing the ear flaps in an unfoldedposition.

FIGURE 3 is a view taken from front to rear of the cap of FIGURE 2illustrating the generally concave shape of the ear flaps.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation with the outer band in an unfolded positionoverlying the ear flaps, the ear flaps being shown in dotted outline.

FIGURE 5 is a view taken from front to rear of the cap shown in FIGURE4.

'FIGURE 6 is a sectional view showing the structural relationship of thecap.

FIGURE 7 is a view of a modified outer band.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged section of the cap of FIG- URE 7 to illustratethe structural relationship of a cap having the modified band.

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of a cap having the modified outer band.

FIGURE -1 of the drawings illustrates a cap generally numbered 10 havinga crown 12 from which depends skirt portions to provide the body of thecap. The front portion which depends from the crown is numbered 14 forpurposes of description, the back portion is numbered 16 and the sideportions 18 and 20 respectively. It will be understood that the back,front, and side portions are c011- nected together to form a continuouscap together with the crown.

In the preferred construction shown in FIGURE 1 the depending portionsare connected to the crown 12 by a seam 22. The crown may be of anydesired shape, but in general would be of a normally oval or roundshape. As the cap body is quite similar in outer appearance to othercaps, it is believed that no further description is necessary forunderstanding.

The depending skirt portions terminate in a substantially continuousedge along a substantially common plane.

An elongated ear flap 24 is foldably connected adjacent the continuousedge of the cap body. The ear flaps as will be understood, vary in depthaccording to the portion of the head to be covered. If desired, the earflap may extend so as to cover a portion of the forehead at least.However, this would be obvious, and is not believed necessary to befurther described.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the preferred form of construction in which therelationship of the ear flap to the inner portion of the cap may beseen.

The ear flap is stitched along a seam 26 to the depending side and rearskirt portions.

As may be seen in FIGURE 3, the elongated continu ous flap 24 isgenerally concave so as to snugly fit the back of the head and to coverthe ears of the head. The ear flaps may be of any desired resilientmaterial which can be contoured to provide the desired structure. In thepreferred construction a sponge plastic material is laminated to astretchable outer material to provide desired warmth, durability, andfabric qualities. The stretchable outer material may be verticallyribbed to stretch in a longitudinal direction more than in a transversevertical direction. Obviously, a wide variety of laminates willaccomplish this purpose, one of the better choices being that of a nylonouter covering laminated to the sponge material. It Will be understoodthat both the sponge material and the covering must be adapted tostretch in a longitudinal direction, and self ability to stretch in atransverse direction is not objectionable. The ear flap is secured intightly gathered relation along the seam 26 to the depending skirtportions. Because of the generally la oval or circular shape of the cap,the ear flap tends to assume a concave shape. In the preferredconstruction this concave shape is further induced by stitching alongthe lower edge 28 of the flap 24.

As will be understood with the ear flap portion in a. concave shape, theflap will conform readily to the shape of the back of the head as wellas providing a receptacle in which the ears are covered. Because of theshape, the flap snugly fits against the back and sides of the head onwhich it is placed. To increase the snuguess of the preferred cap, astretch member 30 is provided which extends along the free terminal edgeof the ear flap from a point adjacent the front of the cap around to theother front portion of the cap. The stretch member 30 is held in desiredposition of the flap 24 by stretchable stitching 32 which may be aknitted or woven effect. The stitch should be able to allow the stretchmember to extend and contract in conformance to the head on which thecap is being worn. The stretch member 30 and tightly gathered seam 26hold the fiap 24 generally concave.

As may be seen in FIGURE 6, the cap will normally have an outer materialwhich may be nylon, corduroy, or any other suitable fabric or laminate.This outer fabric has been generally numbered 34. A lining 36 isprovided which conforms to the shape of the cap and extends throughoutthe cap interior. In some instances, the lining is placed only on thefront portion of the cap interior and on the crown, and in otherinstances on the crown alone depending on the type of fabric being usedin the cap construction. In other words, if a somewhat loosely knitstretchable material is used, the lining might be used only on thecrown, whereas, in a cap of a stiffer material, the lining might beemployed all the way around the cap interior. As this is a commonexpedient of the trade, it is not believed to be in need of furtherdescription.

In the cap of FIGURE 6, at least a portion of the sides and back iscomprised of a stretchable material so as to enable the cap to fit avariety of head sizes. The stretch material extends along a common planefrom the crown in a depending relation. In the preferred construction,the stretchable material employed in the skirt portion is continuous. Inother words, while it would be possible to use inserts of stretchablematerial, the preferred construction utilizes only one such continuousband of stretch material. The stretchable material is preferably morestretchable in a longitudinal direction than in a transverse directionfor obvious reasons. This stretchable portion of the cap body may beformed of two layers of knitted material or of a combination of knittedand foam material laminated together, or of any other suitable materialwhich will provide the desired stretchability. The material obviouslymust be resilient in order to retain its shape.

a As may be seen in FIGURE 4 the knitted or stretchable depending skirtportions are secured along a common plane adjacent the crown bystitching 38.

As may be seen in greater detail in FIGURE 6, the preferred constructionemploys a non-stretching depending portion secured to the crown alongthe seam 22 and extending downwardly to provide an edge 40 along acommon plane to which the stretchable side and back portions are securedby stitching such as 38.

In the preferred construction an outer band 44 is provided which isfoldable to overlie the side and back portions of the cap body andunfoldable to overlie the earflap flaps. This construction may be seenin FIGURES 2 and 4. As may be seen in FIGURE 2, the outer band issecured at a point along the terminal edge of the front portion of thecap, this point being numbered 46 with the other end of the band beingsecured at a point 48. As the outer flap is unfolded to overlie theearflaps, the outer band tends to deform the cap body along a somewhatcurvilinear line which corresponds generally to the edge 56 of thedepending skirt portions of the cap.

In the event that a vizor 52 is provided, the portions of the band whichoverlie the vizor in an unfolded con- A, dition tend to deform the vizorso as to provide a concave outline of the vizor.

In the preferred construction, which may be observed in FIGURES 2 and 5,theouter band has a generally concave shape in both the folded andunfolded positions. In the folded positions in which it overlies thesides and back of the cap body, this concave outline insures a neatappearance of the cap, and when the outer band is unfolded to overliethe earfiaps, the outer band serves as an additional warm member andadditionally holds the earflaps snugly against the sides of the head andas well tends to conform the forward portion of the cap to fit thetemples.

For those who have encountered the rigors of northern wintersparticularly where wind is a factor, the marked advantage of thisconstruction will be appreciated.

To increase the ability of the outer band to conform to the shape of theback of the head and sides of the head along its terminal edge, astretch member 54 which is similar to the stretch member 30 is provided,the mem: ber 54 being held in desired position along the terminal orfree edge of the outer band 56 by stitching, knitting, or overlaying ofmaterial 58.

It is obvious as has been previously mentioned, that a vizor may beemployed or omitted as desired in the cap construction while stillobtaining the advantages of the structure.

In a modified form of outer band shown in FIGURE 7, the outer band issecured to the front portion of the cap from a point adjacent thetemples numbered 60 to a point further along the front such as 62. Theremainder of the outer band is unsecured enabling the outer band to bemoved lower on the back of the head and neck as desired when unfolded,and when folded to be returned to the position shown in FIGURE 9. In themodified structure of FIGURES 7 and 9, the entire outer band need not beof a stretchable material inasmuch as the ends 64 and 65 of the outerband are secured to the front of the cap and accordingly the stretchwill be from the forehead to the back. Therefore, it is possible toutilize an outer band in which only a portion of the band is ofstretchable material. This enables the cap to be made with a materialsimilar to the material of the front for the portions ofthe outer bandwith the back being of stretchable material as has been previouslydescribed.

FIGURE 7 additionally shows more clearly the seam line 38 along whichthe side and back portions of the stretch material are secured in thepreferred construction previously described.

FIGURE 8 illustrates the preferred form in constructing the modifiedouter band of FIGURE 7. The flap 24 is secured by stitching 26 to theskirt portion 64 which may be the liner and stretchable depending skirtor the skirt alone depending on whether or not a liner is used.Obviously one or more layers of the stretchable material may be used asdesired. The modified outer band 66 overlies the skirt portion 64. Aspreviously indicated, the outer band is stretchable so that it conformsto the outer shape of the cap body.

It is important to note that in the desired cap construction, theparticular arrangement of the ends or edges of the material is preferredin order to provide a cap of particular shape to avoid undue bulk. Thisis achieved by a staggering of the points at which seam connections aremade. In other words, it is to be noted that the stretch member 30 ispositioned intermediate the folded edge 68 of the outer band and theother edge or seam connections. Additionally, the seam line 26 is at adifferent point preferably than other folded edges or seams. The stretchmember 54 is above the seam connection 42 and the stitched line 22 is ata different elevation from the stretch line 70 at which the liner isconnected to the depending skirt. This is a particularly uniqueconstruction which has heretofore been impractical because no way couldbe found to have the outer band fold snugly against the outside of thecap while earflaps assume the same snug position inside the cap. Theconcave shape of the outer band and the earflaps enable the advantageousconnection of the parts.

Returning to FIGURE 6, the vizor 52 may be of layered constructionhaving a center member 72 covered by any desired covering material 74and 76. Preferably, the vizor joins the front of the cap adjacent theplaner edge previously described being held in secured relation bysuitable stitching as indicated at 78. The depending front portion wherea vizor is employed is inturned to provide a deep seam line ofstitching.

As may be seen in FIGURE 6 a double layer of covering material andlaminate may be employed to provide similar facings on both sides of theearfiaps. In this instance the layers in face to face abutting relation,are of the spongy laminate with the outer facing materials being of anydesired choice as nylon, cotton, plastic, etc. The double layers havebeen indicated as numbers 80 and 82 for purposes of description. Aspreviously indicated, one would not need to provide such double layersif a more inexpensive construction or less warmth were to be desired.

It will be understood that the crown 12 may be of a relatively inelasticmaterial as may also be the front 14. On the other hand, if desired, allof the cap body may be of an elastic or resilient material. However, ourparticular construction enables the choice of materials in relationwhich have not previously been possible.

In accordance with the Patent Statutes, while we have set forth the bestembodiments of our invention, we desire to have it understood thatobvious changes and modifications may be made within the scope of theaccompanying claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. A multiple sized cap comprising:

(a) a crown,

(b) resilient front, rear, and side portions having inner and outersurfaces depending from said crown adapted to generally encircle thehead of a person,

(c) said front, rear, and side portions having lower edges forming asubstantially continuous edge along a substantially common plane,

(d) an elongated resilient vertically-ribbed ear flap in overlyingrelation to said inner surfaces of said rear and side portions, andbeing stretchable to a greater extent longitudinally than transversely,

(e) a tightly gathered seam marginally securing said earflap marginallyupward from the lower edges of said rear and side portions,

(f) the marginal free edge of the earflap including a resilient stretchmember,

(g) an elongated resilient outer band having a lower edge and forwardends in overlying relation to said rear and side portions,

(h) said outer band secured at the lower edge of each forward end to thelower edge of said front portion with the remaining portion of saidouter band lower edge being free of attachment,

(i) said tightly gathered seam and said resilient member of said earflapnormally holding said earflap concavely contoured to snugly embrace thesides and back of a persons head when unfolded with said outer handoptionally unfoldable in overlying relation to said earflap.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which the other edge of said outerband includes a resilient member.

3. The structure of claim 1 and in which:

(a) a vizor is secured along the lower edge of said front portion,

(b) said ends of said outer bands being in overlying relation to saidvizor.

4. The structure of claim 1 and in which said side and rear portionscomprise at least two thicknesses of material, said earflap beingsecured to said innermost thickness of material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 948,273 2/1910 Finestone et a1.2-172 1,379,142 5/1921 Wallace 2172 1,445,981 2/ 1923 Strauss 2-1721,462,279 7/ 1923 Guinzburg 2198 X 2,869,134 1/ 1959 Milstein 2-1722,878,479 3/1959 Schuessler 2172 3,035,273 5/ 1962 Krystal 2-1723,076,972 2/ 1963 Prophet et al. 2-l74 3,134,983 6/1964 Lipkin 2-1723,188,654 6/1965 Rafowitz et a1 2l72 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner.

1. A MULTIPLE SIZED CAP COMPRISING: (A) A CROWN, (B) RESILIENT FRONT,REAR, AND SIDE PORTIONS HAVING INNER AND OUTER SURFACES DEPENDING FROMSAID CROWN ADAPTED TO GENERALLY ENCIRCLE THE HEAD OF A PERSON, (C) SAIDFRONT, REAR AND SIDE PORTIONS HAVING LOWER EDGES FORMING A SUBSTANTIALLYCONTINUOUS EDGE ALONG A SUBSTANTIALLY COMMON PLANE, (D) AN ELONGATEDRESILIENT VERTICALLY-RIBBED EAR FLAP IN OVERLYING RELATION TO SAID INNERSURFACES OF SAID REAR AND SIDE PORTIONS, AND BEING STRETCHABLE TO AGREATER EXTENT LONGITUDINALLY THAN TRANSVERSELY, (E) A TIGHTLY GATHEREDSEAM MARGINALLY SECURING SAID EARFLAP MARGINALLY UPWARD FROM THE LOWEREDGES OF SAID REAR AND SIDE PORTIONS, (F) THE MARGINAL FREE EDGE OF THEEARFLAP INCLUDING A RESILIENT STRETCH MEMBER, (G) AN ELONGATED RESILIENTOUTER BAND HAVING A LOWER EDGE AND FORWARD ENDS IN OVERLYING RELATION TOSAID REAR AND SIDE PORTIONS, (H) SAID OUTER BAND SECURED AT THE LOWEREDGE OF EACH FORWARD END TO THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID FRONT PORTION WITHTHE REMAINING PORTION OF SAID OUTER BAND LOWER EDGE BEING FREE OFATTACHMENT, (I) SAID TIGHTLY GATHERED SEAM AND SAID RESILIENT MEMBER OFSAID EARFLAP NORMALLY HOLDING SAID EARFLAP CONCAVELY CONTOURED TO SNUGLYEMBRACE THE SIDES AND BACK OF A PERSON''S HEAD WHEN UNFOLDED WITH SAIDOUTER HAND OPTIONALLY UNFOLDABLE IN OVERLYING RELATION TO SAID EARFLAP.